Today marks the final day of meetings and preparation and the beginning of my student teaching. And also my first blog post on my new, fancy “Student Teacher Blog” so that you can all read about my hilarious great success and undeniable failures for the next ten weeks. It’s not that pivotal, really though, because the first week or two consists mainly of observations of the school culture, the classroom structure, general rules, policies in action, and the daily routines of my classes. But I do think it’s a good place to begin reflection, because I am starting to realize quite a few things.
I would also like to say, this post is a throwback to the Woodring days as I’m expecting all my amazing professors to read this blog.
I would also like to say, this post is a throwback to the Woodring days as I’m expecting all my amazing professors to read this blog.
And here it is: What was I thinking?
Apologies to all my professors I was questioning and hassling because, “I really don’t think that’s the best way, this is how I like to do it.”
I’m starting to feel like I want all the structure and preparation in the world…did somebody say rubric? For anyone who’s not sure what I’m talking about, let me explain. In my classes at Woodring College of Education I was staunchly a minimalist – a bit of a wild child perhaps. “Rubrics cramp the natural development of writing. It’s an organic thing, man.”, I would say to my professor Don Burgess. And all this backwards design and outlines of time, what was the use?
Well, now that I’m about to be in the hot seat for weeks on end, I’ll tell you the use – you’ll know what you’re going to assess the students on for the next freakin year!
Don, you were right my man.
I’m probably being a little bit hyperbolic, I still think writing needs to be practiced and allowed to occur creatively without too much restriction, and I still want my classes to be malleable – not too regimented. But I stand here now, a deer in the headlights, saying “Thank you.”, to those who provided me with the unit plan templates, student inventories, learning checklists and assessment strategies I so valiantly (and vainly) fought in College.
I think I will be happily planning in UbD world this school year.
On another note, you all may also know that I am teaching in Ireland, if not, now you do. Let me tell you something if you’ve never been here – they drink tea like they’ll go blind if they don’t, and now I do too. I’m going to be bringing a hundred pounds of it with me when I come back, if I do come back at all.
